LEAF TERMINOLOGY

THE GOAL OF THIS

PRESENTATION IS TO HELP
VISITORS IDENTIFY THE
FLOWERING PLANTS THEY SEE
WHILE HIKING IN THE
WESTCHESTER WILDERNESS
WALK.

TO LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY

FLOWERING PLANTS YOU WILL
NEED TO LEARN BASIC LEAF
MORPHOLOGY.

IF YOU WISH TO LEARN MORE

ABOUT BOTANICAL TERMS, VISIT
OUR GLOSSAY LINKED FROM THE
FLOWERING PLANTS HOME PAGE
OR, FOR MORE TECHNICAL
TERMINOLOGY, STUDY THE
MANUAL OF LEAF ARCHITECTURE.
A HAND LENS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
TOOLS OF A BOTANIST.

MANY OF THE PLANT CHARACTERS CAN ONLY

BE OBSERVED WELL WITH A HAND LENS.
BASIC LEAF TERMINOLOGY
THE POSITION AND COMPLEXITY
OF PLANT LEAVES ARE TWO OF
THE FIRST CHARACTERS TO LOOK
AT WHEN IDENTIFYING PLANTS.

ALL SPECIES OF MAPLE IN THE

PRESERVE HAVE SIMPLE LEAVES.
IN ADDITION THE LEAVES ARE
ATTACHED OPPOSITE TO ONE
ANOTHER ON THE STEM.

THE ONLY OTHER TREE GENUS

WITH OPPOSITE, SIMPLE LEAVES IS
CORNUS (DOGWOOD) BUT THAT
GENUS HAS ENTIRE, NOT LOBED,
LEAF BLADES.
Drawing by B. Angell
BLACK OAK GROUP WITH POINTED OR BRISTLED LOBES

Lobing may be variable within a species and sometimes even

within an individual tree
 WHITE OAK GROUP WITH
ROUNDED LOBES (BRISTLES ABSENT)
 ODDLY (LEFT) AND EVENLY (RIGHT) PINNATE LEAVES

ODDLY PINNATE
LEAVES ARE ALSO
CALLED
IMPARIPINNATE
LEAVES AND EVENLY
PINNATE LEAVES ARE
ALSO CALLED
PARIPINNATE LEAVES.
 BIPINNATE LEAF

The entire structure is one leaf,

i.e., everything above the bud
is the leaf. There are no buds
In the axils of the primary and
secondary leaflets.

Always look for buds in the

leaf axils to help you determine
if a leaf is simple or compound.

There are no species with

bipinnately compound leaves
in the WLT Preserve.

Photo by C. Gracie
LEAF FEATURES

LEAF SHAPE,
BASE, APEX, AND
MARGIN CHARACTERS
ARE USED
TO DESCRIBE
FLOWERING PLANTS.

ALTHOUGH THESE
CHARACTERS ARE
USEFUL THEY ARE
VARIABLE AND DIFFICULT
TO DESCRIBE.

SOME SPECIES ARE EASY

TO IDENTIFY WHILE
OTHERS ARE DIFFICULT!

From Hickey, 1973

TILIA AMERICANA IS EASY TO IDENTIFY BASED ON LEAF CHARACTERS
FEATURES OF LEAF
VENATION USED
IN PLANT
CLASSIFICATION

From Hickey, 1973

 VENATION ORDERS

There are venation orders greater than tertiary veins but they are not
visible without magnification (see glossary for terms).
FEATURES OF LEAF
VENATION USED
IN PLANT
CLASSIFICATION

From Hickey, 1973

TWO DISTINCTIVE VENATION TYPES
In Fagus grandifolia the secondary veins run
straight into the marginal teeth without
branching.

In Acer platanoides the primary veins all come

from the same point.
 THERE ARE MANY OTHER
CHARACTERS ASSOCIATED
WITH LEAVES THAT HELP
IDENTIFY SPECIES

THE FOLLOWING SLIDES SHOW

SOME OF THEM
STIPULES OF POTENTILLA SIMPLEX

STIPULES
ARE BRACTS
ATTACHED TO THE
STEM AT THE
NODE WHERE THE
PETIOLE IS
ATTACHED.

THERE ARE TWO

STIPULES AT EACH
NODE.

STIPULES ARE
COMMON IN THE
ROSACEAE AS
SHOWN HERE.
LINEAR STIPULES OF STAPHYLEA TRIFOLIA

THE BLADDER NUT IS THE

ONLY SPECIES IN THE
PRESERVE WITH
PUBESCENT, LINEAR
STIPULES.
STIPELS AT THE BASES OF TWO OPPOSITE
LEAFLETS
STIPELS OF
SAMBUCUS
CANADENSIS (THE
COMMON
ELDERBERRY).

STIPULES ARE FOUND

AT THE BASES OF
LEAVES WHEREAS
STIPELS ARE
LOCATED AT THE
BASES OF LEAFLETS.

STIPELS ARE ONLY

FOUND ON SPECIES
WITH COMPOUND
LEAVES.

Photo by C. Gracie
PETIOLAR GLANDS OF PRUNUS SEROTINA

THE BLACK CHERRY IS

EASY TO IDENTIFY
BECAUSE IT HAS:
ALTERNATE, SIMPLE
LEAVES WITH SERRATE
MARGINS AND GLANDS AT
THE APEX OF SOME OF THE
PETIOLES.

THE GLANDS ARE NOT

APPARENT ON EVERY
PETIOLE SO LOOK AT
SEVERAL LEAVES. THEY
ARE ALSO MORE DIFFICULT
TO FIND ON OLDER
LEAVES.
 STIPULAR-DERIVED TENDRILS OF SMILAX ROTUNDIFOLIA

THE CATBRIER IS
THE ONLY SPECIES
IN THE WLT
PRESERVE THAT
POSSESSES
STIPULAR-DERIVED
TENDRILS.
 LEAF PUNCTATIONS OF HYPERICUM PUNCTATUM

GLANDULAR LEAF
PUNCTATIONS OF
SAINT JOHN’S-WORT

TO SEE THE PUNCTATIONS

VIEW THE LEAF AGAINST
THE SKY THROUGH A 10X
HAND LENS

Photo by C. Gracie
TUFTS OF TRICHOMES IN THE AXILS OF SECONDARY VEINS
OF THE AMERICAN BASSWOOD (TILIA AMERICANA)

Photo by C. Gracie
STEMS ALSO HAVE CHARACTERS THAT HELP
IDENTIFY SPECIES
THE BURNING BUSH
(EUONYMUS
ALATUS) HAS
GREEN STEMS WITH
REDDISH-BROWN
WINGS. THESE
CHARACTERS MAKE
THIS SPECIES EASY
TO IDENTIFY. STEMS
LIKE THIS ARE
CALLED ALATE
(WINGED).

THE BURNING BUSH

IS A COMMON
INVASIVE PLANT IN
THE WLT PRESERVE.

Photo by C. Gracie
 FOR DEFINITIONS AND IMAGES
OF MORE BOTANICAL TERMS CLICK ON
“GLOSSARY” ON THE HOME PAGE OF THE
FLOWERING PLANTS